I've never claimed to be very Pinoy. I haven't been to the Philippines since I was about 8 years old and until a couple of weeks ago in San Francisco, I had never been to a Jollibee before. Well that visit inspired me to finally check out one of the Vegas locations.
My mentality as I approached the drive-thru window was simple. I might as well order everything I want to try now. Just get it out of the way so I don't have to come back. I ended up spending $14!
The verdict? The fried chicken was just so so. The side of mashed potatoes tasted like instant. The side of corn fared better, but basically that fried chicken combo was a bust.
Fortunately, the Filipino style spaghetti rocked! Honestly, I used to hate the sweetness of Filo spaghetti sauce. I'm probably still partial to a good, tart Italian Bolognese, but I'm totally down with Filo spaghetti these days and it is something that Jollibee does right.
On to dessert. You can get two pies for $3, so I opted to get both the Mango Peach and the Banana Langka (jackfruit). The Mango Peach was pretty good in its own right, but OMG! The Banana Langka is a superstar. I would totally come back just for that. It's basically like Turon. And that equals yumminess.
Overall, I can't give Jollibee more than two stars. It just misses the mark on basic food flavor (I'm referring to the fried chicken deal and the one bite of my cousin's cheeseburger I tried in SF). Still, it is totally worth a visit just for that Banana Langka Pie!